Chapter 43 #3
“Why did you steal morphine from the hospital, Adele?”
“As I recall, the only person hallucinating on Saturday was you. And now you come asking me about morphine?”
“You know I didn't take anything. Don't play dumb. Why would you steal morphine from the hospital right after showing up with marks of violence? Who did this to you? Why didn't you tell anyone?”
I scanned her body again and there they were. New raw marks, hidden by the countless layers of clothing. My heart tightened in my chest.
“Let me go!” she snarled, moving closer to my face. A few more inches and she could have bitten my cheek. I pulled back from her teeth, and she shook her wrist in my hands, yanking hard enough to hurt herself. I let go before she actually did.
“What's going on? For the gods' sake, Adele. Talk to me.”
She backed away, rubbing her wrist. Each step of her high-heeled boots could have made the ground tremble.
“Why don't you mind your own business? What the fuck, Kyller. It's none of your concern, leave me alone.”
“And how could I ignore it? Who did this? Was it that man from the party? Or does this have something to do with Naoki and your detestable group?” She was slowly backing away, unsteady on her feet.
“I can help you, Adele. It doesn’t have to be like this.
I swear you can trust me—I won’t expose you.
We’ll handle this in a way that makes them pay. No one will ever know.”
She laughed, the sound echoing through the dark parking lot, as cold as her heart. Adele stopped and turned to face me.
“Help from you? How could a loser help anyone? Listen, why don’t you run into the arms of your general or Ambrose and pretend you’re a little girl too scared to face the world?
What do you understand about life, Kyller?
What do you understand about dealing with monsters?
You understand nothing, because you let other people handle things for you.
And now you’re saying you can help? Spare me—you can’t even help yourself. ”
I stared at her, open-mouthed, as she headed toward the car.
“What do I understand about monsters? Oh, you have no idea, Adele. No idea where I’ve been.”
She pulled the keys from her purse and pressed a button. A red, luxurious Lendor sat nearby—the latest generation Vinturian automobile—and its doors opened upward.
“Oh, I’m so moved. The loser went through problems too. Are you going to tell me your little pet died when you were a child and you were traumatized? Oh no… It must have been the harsh way your father spanked you for misbehaving.”
This time I began to tremble. Did Adele really think I was that superficial?
“What the hell do you know about me, Adele? What the hell do you think you know? Have you ever stopped to ask yourself that while you walk around spewing hatred and disgust at everyone? Have you stopped to think that you’re not the only one with problems?
That everyone else is trying to deal with their demons too? ”
She reached the car and threw herself into the seat, collapsing inside. A groan escaped her lips at the impact. I planted myself in front of the car.
“Are you dealing with them or hiding from them?” she shot back. “You have no idea what demons are, Kyller. No idea what they do every night. Get out of my way.”
She started the car and revved the engine while working the clutch, making it roar.
“I just wanted to let you know that we’re going to intervene. We won’t expose you—no one will ever know what happened. And if you need to talk, I’ll be available anytime.”
She cackled like a madwoman, and I moved out of her way to avoid being run over.
“I don’t accept help from losers, and anyway, it doesn’t make a difference now.”
Through the window, I noticed a tear escape and slide toward her lips. She tore out of the parking lot, burning rubber and flooring it. When she passed through the gates, I ran my hands through my hair and paced back and forth, feeling frustrated.
Adele was completely unhinged, just like the day I saw her at the pre-graduation party. As my head spun, I saw the bond widening in the corner of my mind. I realized my thin mental barrier had disintegrated.
“Zion?”
“I’m here,” he replied seconds later.
“Did you hear?”
“Yes. You were shouting the information through the bond.”
We were silent for a moment. I didn’t even know what to say after the senseless argument I’d had with Adele.
“She should come to train in the afternoon. I’ll take her to the criminal abuse section myself after training. You have two hours until classes—have lunch and go to the academy,” he said.
“Thank you. I’ll be at training at 2 p.m.” But just as I was about to pull away from the bond, I remembered the psychic evaluation. “Zion, we have a problem. Tomorrow I’m having an evaluation with a psychic… Well, you already know about that.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll talk to Serguei about it.”
“All right. See you in a bit.”
I raised my thin barrier again. A single breath, and even a child could knock it down, but at least it was something.